Crested Serpent Eagle

The Crested Serpent Eagle is a bird of prey found in most of the forests of Asia. A lot of variations of the bird and other sub species are found due to the considerable expanse of habitats these birds inhabit. Most of the birds have a large head with feathers giving them a crested appearance.  The birds often prey on snakes hence the name of the serpent eagle.

The birds are large, dark brown with a stocky build. The facial skin and feet are yellow in color. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars. Juvenile birds show a lot of white on their heads. The birds as the name suggests are specialist reptile hunters often staying close to the river side (water) hunting on snakes and lizards. They are found on areas with thick vegetation both on hills and in plains. They are resident species.

I have had the opportunity of seeing this bird at quite a few wildlife reserves like, Parambikulam, Chinnar, Bandipur etc. But never could photograph it. This time around in Bandipur Tiger Reserve saw this bird swoop down from the air to perch on a tree, quite close to the safari trail. Had a nice view of the bird and got a couple of shots of it.